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Blunkett: The man

He was born blind because the optic nerve behind each eye failed to develop. Doctors told his parents, who were elderly, that their genes were not compatible.

He was sent to a special school at the age of four. In his autobiography, On a Clear Day, he said he was damaged well into adult life by the withdrawal of affection.

When he was 12, his father, Arthur, fell into a vat of boiling water at work and died of his injuries a month later. The terrible smell of his father’s burnt flesh still haunts him.

The family was driven into poverty because the East Midlands Gas Board resisted paying compensation. oHis teachers suggested a career in piano tuning. He also considered training as a Methodist minister.

A superintendent in Sheffield went to his house on April Fools’ Day saying he had been reported for driving a Mini. The policeman failed